Smart Women, Smart Power

SWSP is creating space for women in one of the most powerful decision-making spaces in the world: national security and foreign affairs

The Smart Women, Smart Power (SWSP) Initiative has a simple starting point: people are policy. We are committed to creating a platform for respectful and inclusive discussion of the many ways in which women influence and impact the international security, foreign policy and business agendas. The Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative launched in December 2014.

Contact Information

  • Alexis Day
  • Program Manager and Research Associate, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative and Outreach Manager, International Security Program.
  • aday@csis.org

Featured Event

Live in 1 day
Webcast

Smart Women, Smart Power @ 10

Presented by Smart Women, Smart Power
October 15, 2024 • 3:00 – 5:15 pm EDT

Featured Podcasts

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Beating Putin’s Playbook

Marie-Doha Besancenot, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO, joins to discuss the different ways NATO is prioritizing this space.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — July 12, 2024

See all podcast episodes by the SWSP Podcast

Featured Events

Photo: Rafael Henrique via Adobe Stock

Photo: Rafael Henrique via Adobe Stock

The Future of NATO is Female

July 10, 2024 • 10:00 – 10:30 am EDT
Video On Demand
Hosted by Smart Women, Smart Power
Photo: JACK TAYLOR/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: JACK TAYLOR/AFP/Getty Images

Lessons from Myanmar

May 1, 2024 • 10:00 – 10:30 am EDT
Video On Demand
Hosted by Smart Women, Smart Power
See all events by Smart Women, Smart Power

Featured Analysis

Photo: Paval Hadzinski/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed)

Why Dictators are Afraid of Girls

Gender plays a powerful role in the construction and promulgation of power and identity that is particularly meaningful in authoritarian regimes.

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Photo: Jeremy/Adobe Stock

The Overturn of Roe v. Wade Raises Fundamental Questions

The overturn of Roe v. Wade will likely have significant implications for the composition, organization, and management of the U.S. armed forces—raising a number of practical questions for the U.S. military, many of which do not yet have answers.

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All Smart Women, Smart Power Content

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Smart Women, Smart Power @ 10

Smart Women, Smart Power is celebrating its ten-year anniversary with a keynote kick-ff featuring HON Kathleen H. Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, following by a panel that explores women’s leadership during Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.

Event — October 15, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

A Conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Dr. Kathleen McInnis sat down with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new memoir, where she reflects on her time in Congress. 

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — September 23, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

A Conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi: The Art of Power

CSIS welcomed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new book, The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House, moderated by CSIS’s Dr. Kathleen McInnis, director of the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative.

Transcript — September 18, 2024

Take a Chance on Mentorship

Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering), at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.

Event — September 4, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Take a Chance on Mentorship

Funmi Oludaiye, Managing Director (Global Head of Engineering) at Goldman Sachs, discusses how she advanced her career in STEM through hard work, mentorship, and relationship building.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis — September 4, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power